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3 Ways Slow Cookers are Revolutionizing Cuisine

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Earlier this month, appliance giant Kitchenaid unveiled it's latest product: a precise heat mixing bowl that acts like a stand alone slow cooker but can also be attached to one of the company's stand mixers. It's a cool combo that got us thinking: what else can you do with a slow cooker?

Since hitting the market in the 1970s, slow cookers have come a long way. Here's a look at three modern takes on this nifty kitchen appliance that makes life easier for busy cooks everywhere:

KITCHENAID'S PRECISE HEAT MIXING BOWL

Slow cooker or stand mixer? Now you don't have to choose between the two. The KitchenAid Precise Heat Mixing Bowl was developed to allow cooks to temper chocolate, proof bread dough, make fondue, cook soups, make yogurt from scratch and much more. One of its key features is a special timer that maintains the selected temperature for up to 10 hours which, in theory, could prove very useful for curious cooks experimenting with sous vide.

Image via KitchenAid

SLOW COOKER TURNED SOUS VIDE MACHINE

Slow cookers keep food warm for hours at a time so they are a natural fit for sous vide cooking, which involved vacuum sealing foods and 'poaching' them at low temperatures for an extended period of time. The downside to sous vide machines is that thye can be incredibly expensive. Enter the slow cooker, which with the right hack can be turned into a no-fuss homemade sous vide machine. Here's how it's done:

SLOW COOKERS FOR A CAUSE

Last year, the Wonderbag hit the market. This clever invention allows users to slow cook foods for hours without electricity or fuel. You simply bring a pot of food to the boiling pot, turn off the heat and pack it in a Wonderbag. This nifty invention was developed by Sarah Collins, as a way to help families in developing countries conserve fuel. Each bag retails for $50 and for every Wonderbag sold in the United States the company will donate one bag to a family in need in Africa.